Various mobile architectures include a macro cell having smaller cells found within these macro cells. One example is the long-term evolution advanced (LTE-A) communication standard in which a user equipment (UE) may communicate with both the macro cell and small cells, such as pico cells or femto cells or relay cells. The use of LTE-A is however not limiting any other similar networks are possible.
In a LTE-A heterogeneous network, pico cells could be deployed with overlaid macro cells. The pico cells could share the same carrier with the macro cell or use different carriers.
In order to connect to a small cell, a UE needs to find the small cell to connect to. This is typically done by scanning for a reference signal for the small cell. However, UE power consumption may be affected by the search for pico cells, especially when the pico cells use a carrier frequency different from that of the macro cells.
Further, delays in transitioning to an available small cell due to the searching process could degrade a user's experience. In particular, to preserve battery life a UE may only periodically search for other cells including pico cells. Thus, the transition to a small cell may be delayed, leading to sub-optimal data throughput for the device.